Hi all, it's been at least a year since I've posted! graemlins/waving.gif

I haven't worked on my Camaro in a long time, as I've been stumped for quite a while. I thought I had carb problems, but I think I've got another problem I have to work out first. While my engine's cold, it runs really rough, and backfires quite often out the driver's side exhaust. A friend told me that I have an intake valve that's probably not operating correctly (I can't remember if he said it wasn't opening or wasn't closing). I've known my engine was undercammed for quite a while, but before I order a cam and lifters, I wondered if this could be valvespring related? The car sits for long periods of time, and I'll be honest, I'm not very good about loosening the rocker arms to relieve tension on the springs.

So if I can get some feedback on the paragraph above, I'll post my combo and see if you all would like to offer cam grind suggestions!
:cool:

Rat,
Pull your plugs and see what they look like. Bad plug or wire will cause that too. Check the easy stuff first.

-Mark.

Every wire we pulled makes it miss more, so there isn't a dead miss in it. The plugs are pretty black.

If its only backfiring out the drivers and not the passengers as well, you might try checking the lash on the drivers bank. sounds more like an exhaust valve isnt closing all the way. May have a very weak spring too. If it was popping out the carb I'd say an intake valve.

How can I check the springs?

Sits for a while? May be some old bad gas fouling the spark plugs. Happens to me occasionally with rarely-driven cars. Spray the business end of the plugs with some brake cleaner, let them dry, & reinstall.

Good idea.
I have a couple of other questions. One thing I neglected to mention at first is that this condition goes away when the car warms up. So that's why I'm not certain it's a valvetrain issue.
Could it also be something in the distributer? I'm not near the car where I can pull it off in the next couple of weeks, but I'm wondering if I might have a crack or some carbon tracing?
It's an HEI.